Drive regenerative control system

ABSTRACT

Provided is a drive regenerative control system of a drivee with a motor superior in torque and weight balance and suitable for miniaturization as the drive source. In a drive regenerative control system having a drive source with an electric motor, a drivee, a control circuit having a drive control circuit of the motor and a regenerative control circuit, and a detection unit for detecting the driving status of the drivee, the drive control circuit and regenerative control circuit have a control unit for controlling, linearly or in multiple stages, the duty ratio of the drive or regenerative signal to be supplied to the motor based on the phase difference of the phase of the detection signal from the detection unit and the command value signal to the motor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation patent application of U.S. Ser. No.11/888,869 filed Aug. 2, 2007, which is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No.11/120,863 filed May 3, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,858, issued Oct.9, 2007, claiming priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2004-148274 filed May 18, 2004, all of which are incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a drive regenerative control system fordriving a drivee by employing an electric motor as the drive source. Asthe drivee, considered may be an automobile, aircraft, ship and so on.The present invention also relates to a drive regenerative controlsystem in a hybrid system simultaneously using an internal combustionand electric motor.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, as this type of drive control system, for instance,there is a drive control system described in the gazette of WO 02/087066(Patent Document 1). This drive control device for controlling theelectromotive rotation drive unit for moving a driver comprises areference comparative signal generation circuit, a detection circuit fordetecting the speed of the driver and outputting this as a detectionsignal, a speed designation circuit of the driver, a rotation controlcircuit of the driver, and a phase comparison circuit for comparing thephase of the reference comparative signal and the phase of the detectionsignal and outputting the comparison result to the rotation controlcircuit, wherein the rotation control circuit performs PLL (Phase-LockedLoop) control so as to match the speed of the driver with the speeddesignated based on the phase comparison result.

An AC motor used in this drive control system which is driven with afrequency signal such as an alternating current can be broadlyclassified into two types; namely, a synchronous motor and an inductionmotor. A synchronous motor is a motor that uses a layered core of apermanent magnet or a ferromagnetic material such as iron in the rotor,and rotates at a rotation speed that is the same as the speed of therotating magnetic field determined based on the power supply frequency.

Depending on the type of rotor, there are various types of motors suchas a magnetic type which uses a permanent magnet, a coil type with acoil wound thereto, and a reactance type which uses a ferromagneticmaterial such as iron. Among the above, the magnetic type motor rotatesby the permanent magnet of the rotor being pulled with the rotatingmagnetic field of the stator. Meanwhile, the induction motor is a motorthat rotates by generating a separate magnetic field with theelectromagnetic induction effect to a rotor having a box-shapedconduction wire.

Among the foregoing motors, there is a motor that does not rotate, butrather moves linearly or moves freely on a flat surface. This kind ofmotor is generally referred to as a linear motor, and moves thepermanent magnet or ferromagnetic material mounted thereon by linearlyarranging coils that generate magnetic poles and sequentially switchingthe current to be applied to the coil. The linearly disposed coil arrayis the stator, and the rotor corresponds to a flat slider that slidesthereabove.

As a magnetic synchronous motor, for instance, there is a smallsynchronous motor described in the gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-OpenPublication No. H8-51745 (Patent Document 2). This small synchronousmotor, as shown in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2, is constituted bycomprising a stator core 6 wound with an excitation coil 7, and a rotor3 having a rotor core 2 with a magnet 1 build therein and in which theNS poles are aligned in even intervals around the peripheral facethereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Nevertheless, with the motor explained in the description of the relatedart, the weight became massive in comparison to the generated torque,and there is a problem in that the motor would become enlarged whenattempting to increase the generated torque. Further, with theconventional technology, it is not possible to control the electricmotor torque in multi stages or linearly. Thus, an object of the presentinvention is to provide a system employing a motor suitable forminiaturization and superior in torque and weight balance for the drivecontrol and regenerative control of the drivee. Moreover, the presentinvention provides a system enabling the multistage or linear control ofthe electric motor torque to be used for driving the drivee.

In order to achieve the foregoing objects, the present inventionprovides a drive regenerative control system, comprising: a drive systemfor driving a drivee in which an electric motor is combined with anotherdrive source as necessary; a mechanism for transmitting the drivingforce from the drive system to the drivee; an electric motor operationcontrol circuit for controlling the drive and regeneration of theelectric motor; a storage mechanism for storing regenerative energy; astorage control circuit; a sensor for detecting the motion of thedrivee; and an operation control device for outputting a drive controlsignal to the electromotive drive system based on the sensor output;wherein the electric motor has a movable body constituted from amagnetic body, and a plurality of phase coils, and the operation controldevice controls one or a plurality of the phase coils for driving and/orregeneration according to the operation status of the drivee.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the other drive source is aninternal combustion, the drivee is a running vehicle, and a plurality ofthe storage mechanisms is provided. Further, the storage control circuitselects a mechanism suitable for charging with regenerative energy, andcharges the storage mechanism with the regenerative energy. Moreover,the motor establishes a stator by forming a plurality of phase coilswith a plurality of coil arrays to be excited at alternate oppositepoles in relation to a rotor as the movable body formed by continuouslydisposing a plurality of permanent magnets magnetized at alternateopposite poles, disposes the stator without contacting the rotor, androtates the rotor by supplying to the coils a pulse signal wave having afrequency.

Further, when the drivee is running on a low load, the operation controldevice performs control so as to simultaneously use a part of theplurality of phase coils for driving and the other phase coils forregeneration. The electric motor operation control circuit has acomparison circuit for comparing the detection signal and referencesignal obtained based on the sensor output, forms a drive control signalof the electric motor of the electric motor based on the comparisonresult and supplies this to the drive circuit of the electric motor, andfurther forms the regenerative control signal based on the comparisonresult and supplies this to the storage control unit. The comparisoncircuit compares the phase of the detection signal and reference signal,and the drive control signal or regenerative control signal is formedbased on the phase difference. The electric motor operation controlcircuit determines the duty ratio of the drive signal of the electricmotor to be supplied to the drive circuit based on the phase difference,and determines the duty ratio of the regenerative enabling signal to besupplied to the storage control unit based on the phase difference. Thecombination of the phase coils to be drive controlled or regenerativecontrolled according to the operation status of the drivee is formedinto a table and stored in the memory, and the operation control circuitrefers to the memory to determine the phase coils to be excited based onthe sensor output.

In addition, a magnetic sensor is further provided in relation to themovable body for each of the phase coils, and the electric motoroperation control circuit determines the hysteresis level in relation tothe output of the magnetic sensor based on the comparison result, anddetermines the duty ratio from the hysteresis level and the magneticsensor output. The output of the sensor is directly supplied to thephase coils as an excitation current.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the frame format and principle of operationof the magnetic structure pertaining to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the principal of operation subsequent toFIG. 1;

FIG. 3(1) and FIG. 3(2) are equivalent circuit diagrams showing theconnection state of the electromagnetic coils;

FIG. 4(1)˜FIG. 4(5) are perspective views of the motor;

FIG. 5(1) and FIG. 5(2) are block diagrams of the drive circuit forsupplying an excitation signal to a coil array;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the frame format of the power generationprinciple of the motor;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the stress transmission from the electricmotor to the drive wheel of the drive regenerative control systemaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the drive/regenerative control;

FIG. 9 is a system block diagram of the drive and regenerative control;

FIG. 10 is a control block diagram of the comparative wave formationunit of the block diagram illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a control block diagram of the command PLL unit depicted inFIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a control block diagram of the low pass filter illustrated inFIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of the PWM drive control unit depicted inFIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is a timing chart of a signal in a high drive torque state whenthe LPF1 signal is large;

FIG. 15 is a timing charge of a signal in a low drive torque state whenthe LPF1 signal is small;

FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of the regenerative control unit;

FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram of the storage control unit;

FIG. 18 is a regenerative control timing charge based on the LPF2signal;

FIG. 19 is a modified example of this timing chart;

FIG. 20 is a diagram representing the drive/regenerative statetransition characteristics table of a vehicle (drivee);

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a status transition example from the startof the vehicle, through stable running, until the vehicle stops;

FIG. 22 is a characteristics diagram of the acceleration andacceleration level;

FIG. 23 is a characteristics diagram of the brake and decelerationlevel;

FIG. 24 is a waveform diagram showing the control timing transition ofthe stop area, start area and stable running area of the vehicle;

FIG. 25 is a waveform diagram showing the control timing transition ofthe stable running area of the vehicle;

FIG. 26 is a waveform diagram showing the control timing transition fromthe stable running area of the vehicle, through braking, until reachinga stopped state;

FIG. 27 is a structural diagram of the motor showing a state where aplurality of rotors is provided serially to the electric motor;

FIG. 28 is a control table to be applied to the motor;

FIG. 29 is a control characteristics diagram of the electric motor fromthe start of the vehicle, stable running until the vehicle stops basedon the control table;

FIG. 30 is a control characteristics diagram of the accelerator andacceleration level to be applied to the motor;

FIG. 31 is a control characteristics diagram of the brake anddeceleration level to be applied to the motor;

FIG. 32 is a modified example of the system illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 33 is a control timing chart of the system depicted in FIG. 32; and

FIG. 34 is a block diagram of the storage control system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing the principal of operation of arepresentative motor pertaining to the present invention. This motor hasa constitution where a third permanent magnet 14 is interposed between afirst coil pair (A phase coil) 10 and a second coil pair (B phase coil)12. The coils and permanent magnet may be constituted circularly (arc,circle) or linearly. When formed circularly, either the permanent magnetor the coil phase functions as the rotor, and, when formed linearly, oneof the above becomes a slider.

The first coil pair (phase coil) 10 comprises a constitution in whichthe coils 16 alternately excitable to the opposite poles aresequentially aligned in a prescribed spacing, preferably an evenspacing. FIG. 5 is an equivalent circuit diagram of this first coilpair. According to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, as described later, with atwo-phase excitation coil, all coils are excited to be constantly drivenagainst the two-phase exciting coil during the start-up rotation (2π)with the foregoing polarity. Therefore, a drivee means such as a rotoror slider can be rotated and driven at high torque.

As shown in FIG. 3(1), a plurality of electromagnetic coils 16 (magneticunit) to be alternately excited at opposite poles is connected seriallyin even spacing. Reference numeral 18A is a block showing the drivecircuit for applying a frequency pulse signal to these magnetic coils.When an excitation signal for exciting the coils is sent from theexcitation circuit to the electromagnetic coils 16, the respective coilsare pre-set to be excited such that the direction of the magnetic poleswill alternate between the adjacent coils. As shown in FIG. 3(2), theelectromagnetic coils 16 may also be connected in parallel. Thestructure of these coils are the same for both A and B phase coils.

When a signal having a frequency for alternately switching, inprescribed cycles, the direction of the polarity of the suppliedexcitation current is applied from the excitation circuit 18A to theelectromagnetic coils 16, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a magneticpattern which alternately changes the polarity on the side facing therotor 14 from N pole→S pole→N pole is formed in the A phase coil pair10. When the frequency signal becomes a reverse polarity, a magneticpattern is generated for alternately changing the polarity, which is onthe third magnetic body side, of the first magnetic body from S pole→Npole→S pole. As a result, the excitation pattern appearing in the Aphase coil pair 10 will periodically change.

Although the structure of the B phase coil pair is the same as the Aphase coil pair, the electromagnetic coils 18 of the B phase coil pairdiffer with respect to the point that they are aligned by beingpositionally shifted in relation to the electromagnetic coils 16 of theA phase coil pair. In other words, the array pitch of the coil in the Aphase coil pair and the array pitch of the B phase coil pair aredisposed in an offset so as to have a prescribed pitch difference(electrical angular difference). This pitch difference is preferably the(single rotation) of the angle in which the permanent magnet 14 movescorresponding to 1 cycle (2π) of the excitation current frequency inrelation to the coils 16, 18; for instance π/6 (π/(2/M): M is the numberof sets of permanent magnet (N+S) where M=3).

The permanent magnet is now explained. As depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2,the rotor 14 formed from a permanent magnet is disposed between atwo-phase coil pair, and a plurality of permanent magnets 20 (marked outin black) having alternately reverse polarities is aligned in a line(linearly or in an arc) in prescribed spacing, preferably in evenspacing. An arc shape includes loops such as a perfect circle or an ovalshape, as well as indefinite circular structures, half circles, fanshapes, and so on.

The A phase coil pair 10 and B phase coil pair 12 are disposed via equalspacing, and a third magnetic body 14 is disposed between the A phasecoil pair and B phase coil pair. The array pitch of the permanent magnet20 is roughly the same as the array pitch of the magnetic coil in the Aphase coil 10 and B phase coil 12.

Next, the operation of the magnetic structure in which the foregoingthird magnetic body is disposed between the first magnetic body 10 andsecond magnetic body 12 is explained with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.2. Let it be assumed that, based on the foregoing excitation circuit(reference numeral 18 illustrated in FIG. 3; to be described in detaillater), the excitation pattern shown in FIG. 1(1) is being generated ata certain moment in the electromagnetic coils 16, 18 of the A phase coiland B phase coil.

Here, a magnetic pole in the pattern of →S→N→S→N→S→ is generated in therespective coils 16 on the surface facing the side of the permanentmagnet 14 of the A phase coil 10, and a magnetic pole in the pattern of→N→S→N→S→N→ is generated in the coil 18 on the surface facing the sideof the permanent magnet 14 of the B phase coil 12. In the diagrams, themagnetic relation between the permanent magnet and the respective phasecoils is illustrated, and a repulsive force will arise between the samepoles and an attractive force will arise between opposite poles.

The next instant, as shown in FIG. 1(2), when the polarity of the pulsewave applied to the A phase coil via the drive circuit 18 is reversed, arepulsive force will arise between the magnetic pole generated to thecoils 16 of the A phase coil 10 and the magnetic pole of the permanentmagnet 20. Meanwhile, since an attracting force is generated between themagnetic pole generated to the coils 18 of the B phase coil 12 and themagnetic pole on the surface of the permanent magnet, as shown in FIG.1(1) to FIG. 2(5), the permanent magnet 14 will sequentially moverightward in the diagram.

A pulse wave having a phase lag in comparison to the exciting current ofthe A phase coil applied to the coils 18 of the B phase coil 12, and, asshown in FIG. 2(6) to (8), the magnetic pole of the coils 18 of the Bphase coil 12 and the magnetic pole on the surface of the permanentmagnets 20 repel against each other, and move the permanent magnet 14further rightward. FIG. 1(1) to FIG. 2(8) illustrate a case where therotor 14 engages in a rotation corresponding to π, and FIG. 3(9) onwardillustrate a case where such rotor 14 engages in a rotationcorresponding to π→2π. As described above, the rotor will rotate bysupplying a drive current (voltage) signal of a prescribed frequencywith a shifted phase to the A phase coil array and B phase coil array.

When the A phase coil array, B phase coil array and the permanent magnetare formed in an arc, the magnetic structure depicted in FIG. 1 willbecome a structure of a rotating motor, and, when these are formedlinearly, the magnetic structure thereof will become a linear motor.Excluding the portions of the permanent magnet such as a case or rotorand the electromagnetic coil can be reduced in weight by employing anon-magnetic body such as resin (including carbon) or ceramics, and arotating power drive superior in a power-weight ratio can be realizedwithout generating iron loss as a result of opening the magnetic circuitwithout using a yoke.

According to this magnetic structure, since the permanent magnet is ableto move upon being subject to the magnetic force from the A phase coiland the B phase coil, the torque upon moving the permanent magnet willincrease, and, since the torque/weight balance will become superior, asmall motor capable of driving at a high torque can be provided thereby.

FIG. 3(1) shows the respective circuits of the A phase coil and B phasecoil in a case where the plurality of coil arrays is formed serially,and FIG. 3(2) shows the respective circuits of the A phase coil and Bphase coil in a case where the plurality of coil arrays is formed inparallel.

FIG. 4(1)˜FIG. 4(5) are perspective views of the motor, wherein FIG.4(1) is a perspective view of the motor; FIG. 4(2) is a schematic planview of the rotor (third magnetic body); FIG. 4(3) is a side viewthereof; FIG. 4(4) is a diagram showing an A phase electromagnetic coil(first magnetic body); and FIG. 4(5) is a diagram showing a B phaseelectromagnetic coil (second magnetic body). The reference numerals usedin FIG. 4 are the same as the structural components corresponding to theforegoing diagrams.

The motor comprises a pair of A phase magnetic body 10 and B phasemagnetic body 12 corresponding to a stator, as well as the thirdmagnetic body 14 constituting the rotor, and a rotor 14 is rotatablydisposed around the axis 37 and between the A phase magnetic body and Bphase magnetic body. The rotating axis 37 is fitted into an opening inthe center of the rotor such that the rotor and rotating axis can rotateintegrally. As shown in FIGS. 4(2), (4) and (5), six permanent magnetsare provided to the rotor in even spacing around the circumferentialdirection thereof, polarities of the permanent magnets are made to bemutually opposite, and six electromagnetic coils are provided to thestator in even spacing around the circumferential direction thereof.

The A phase sensor 34A and B phase sensor 34B are provided to the innerside wall of the case of the A phase magnetic body (first magnetic body)via a phase shift (distance corresponding to π/6). The A phase sensor34A and B phase sensor 34B are subject to mutual phase shifts forproviding a prescribed phase different to the frequency signal to besupplied to the A phase coil 16 and the frequency signal to be suppliedto the B phase coil 18.

As the sensor, it is preferable to use a hall element employing the halleffect and which is capable of detecting the position of the permanentmagnet from the change in the magnetic pole pursuant to the movement ofthe permanent magnet. As a result of employing this sensor, when the Spole of the permanent magnet to the subsequent S pole is set to 2π, thehall element will be able to detect the position of the permanent magnetregardless of where the permanent magnet is located. As the hallelement, a method of generating a pulse may be employed, or a method ofoutputting an analog value according to the magnetic pole intensity mayalso be employed.

FIG. 5(1) and FIG. 5(2) respectively show the drive circuits of the Aphase magnetic body formed from an A phase coil array and the B phasemagnetic body formed from a B phase coil array.

This circuit includes switching transistors TR1 to TR4 for applying theoutput waveform of the sensor as an excitation current to the A phaseelectromagnetic coil or B phase electromagnetic coil. Here, when the Aphase sensor output as the signal is “H”, “L” is applied to the TR1gate, “L” is applied to the TR2 gate, “H” is applied to the TR3 gate,and “H” is applied to the TR4 gate. Then, TR1 and TR4 will be turned on,and the excitation current as the output from the sensor having an IA1is applied to the A phase coil. Meanwhile, when then A phase sensoroutput as the signal is “L”, “H” is applied to the TR1 gate, “H” isapplied to the TR2 gate, “L” is applied to the TR3 gate, and “L” isapplied to the TR4 gate. Then, TR2 and TR3 will be turned on, and theexcitation current having an IA2 orientation will be applied to the Aphase coil. Further, when “H” is applied to TR1 and TR3 and “L” isapplied to TR2 and TR4, this will enter an HiZ state, and current willnot be supplied to the electromagnetic coil. The same applies regardingthe excitation to the B phase coil illustrated in FIG. 5(2).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the power generation principle during theregenerative control of the motor. The magnetic flux in the direction ofthe arrow shown in the diagram is generated between adjacent oppositepoles to the movable body (rotor) between the A phase coil and B phasecoil along the surface of the rotor. When the rotor rotates, themagnetic flux density in the coil changes periodically, and the outputof the electromotive force of the sinusoidal wave illustrated in FIG. 6is generated from the A phase coil and B phase coil. Since theestablished phase of the coil is misaligned, the phase of theelectromotive force waveform generated in the A phase and the phasegenerated in the B phase coil are also misaligned. Further, Fleming'sleft hand rule is applied to the A phase coil and B phase coil.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining the stress transmission to thedrivee employing the drive regenerative control system according to thepresent invention. Reference numeral 70 is an internal combustion, andreference numeral 72 is a drive regenerative control unit. The overallsystem illustrated in FIG. 7 constitutes a hybrid drive system combiningthese two power drive sources. The switching unit 74 of this system forswitching the stress transmission unit 76 and power drive source isconstantly connects the stress transmission unit 76 and driveregenerative control unit for driving or regeneration on the one hand,and is coupled with or disconnected from the internal combustion unit70. The stress transmission unit 76, for example, is a drive shaft inrelation to the drive wheel 78 (load).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the drive regenerative control unit, andreference numeral 80 is the drive unit for controlling the drive of therespective phase coils, reference numeral 82 is the receiving unit forreceiving the regenerative current thereof, and reference numeral 84 isthe regenerative control unit for controlling the regeneration of themotor. This regenerative control unit stores the obtained regenerativeelectrical energy in a plurality of storage units 86, 88. Referencenumeral 90 is the load unit, and the detection signal of the load issupplied to the respective phase drive units 80. The storage unit to becharged is prioritized from the storage unit with the least storagequantity.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a more detailed block constitution of thedrive regenerative control unit. Output of the respective sensors 92 ato 92 d is supplied to the CPU unit 98. Output of the speed sensor 92 ais converted into a speed pulse 94, and, after being M-divided with thefrequency divider 100, the actual speed waveform is supplied to thephase comparator 104 constituting the PLL circuit. The M-division ratiois determined by being subject to the control of the CPU. This actualspeed waveform is also supplied to the comparison waveform formationunit 102. This comparison waveform formation unit 102 forms thereference waveform (command waveform) to be phase-compared with theactual speed waveform with the phase comparison unit 104 from the CPUcontrol and actual speed.

When accelerating the motor (UP), the phase of the command waveform ischanged upon being subject to the actual speed or CPU control so that aphase difference will be generated between the actual speed waveform.This is also described in the gazette of WO 02/087066. Incidentally,when controlling the motor in the deceleration direction, DOWN (DN) isoutput from the phase comparison unit 104. Reference numeral 106 is alow pass filter constituting the PLL circuit. Further, reference numeral96 is the level converter (amplifier).

The comparison waveform formation unit 102 determines whether to use theA phase coil or B phase coil of the motor, and supplies this to the PWMdrive control unit 108. When accelerating the motor even further, thecoil of both phases is excited, and, if this is not the case, only oneof the phases needs to be excited. When subjecting the motor toregenerative control, the phase to be regenerated is similarlydetermined, and this is supplied to the regenerative control unit 84.The drive control signal LPF1 of the motor output from the low passfilter 106 is supplied to the PWM drive control unit, and the duty ofthe drive signal is subject to PWM modulation. As a result of this PWMmodulation, the drive torque of the motor can be adjusted continuouslyor gradually. The drive signal subject to PWM modulation is supplied tothe driver (excitation circuit of the coil) 110, and excites theelectromagnetic coil unit.

The control signal LPF2 of the regenerative circuit output from the lowpass filter 106 is supplied to the regenerative control circuit 84. LPF1is formed based on the acceleration signal (UP) of the motor from thephase comparison unit 104, and LPF2 is formed based on the decelerationsignal (DN) of the motor from the phase comparison unit 104. Theregenerative control unit 84 controls the storage control unit 112; thatis, controls the storage voltage upon storage, and supplies theregenerative electricity energy to one of the storage units.Incidentally, the signal from sensors 34A, B is supplied to the PWMdrive control unit 108, and, after the signal from this sensor beingsubject to PWM modulation, this may also be supplied to the driver unit110 as a direct excitation signal. Further, the sensor output may alsobe directly supplied to the regenerative control unit so as to make thesensor output the regenerative electricity energy.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the comparison waveform formation unit 102,and this system has two coefficient tables 130, 132 in a prescribed areaof the memory. The excitation phase or regenerative phase is determinedwith the respective conversion tables. A prescribed coefficient from theconversion table is multiplied to the acceleration quantity (134), andthis is added to the speed sensor quantity (138). This speedacceleration command is supplied to the command PLL unit 148 as thecommand value 146 via the acceleration switch 142. The command PLL unit148 forms the command waveform. A prescribed coefficient of theconversion table 132 is multiplied to the brake quantity (136), and thiscomputed value is subtracted from the speed sensor quantity (140). Thisspeed deceleration command is supplied to the command PLL unit 148 asthe command value 146 via the brake switch 144. The CPU system 98controls the ON/OFF of the acceleration switch 142 or brake switch 144.The actual speed waveform is supplied to the command PLL unit, and thecommand PLL unit 148 forms the command waveform by dividing the actualspeed waveform based on the command value 146. This command waveform, asshown in FIG. 9, is supplied to the phase comparison unit 104. In otherwords, the phase difference is made to move toward the direction ofacceleration between the actual speed waveform and command waveform atthe phase comparison unit 104 as the acceleration operation speedincreases, and, on the other hand, the phase difference is made to movetoward the direction of deceleration as the brake operation speedincreases.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the command PLL unit. The command valuedepicted in FIG. 10 is supplied to the M frequency divider 150, and thedivision ration is determined according to the command value. Frequencyof the output of the VCO 158 is multiplied M times and supplied to thephase comparator 154. The reference signal from the quartz oscillator isM-divided with the frequency divider 152 subject to the control of theCPU, and supplied as a reference signal to the phase comparator 154. Thephase comparator compares the phase difference of the reference signaland comparison signal, and the compared output is output as the commandwaveform via the low pass filter 156, VCO, and acceleration switch 160.When it is not necessary to drive the motor, the switch is switched tothe actual speed waveform side. Here, as shown in FIG. 9, since thephase comparator 104 is supplied with the same actual speed waveformsignal, the motor is not driven or regenerated.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the LPF unit illustrated in FIG. 9, and,when the frequency waveform “H” of UP and the frequency waveform “L” ofDOWN are applied, TR10 and TR16 will both be turned on, TR14 and TR12will be turned off, the low pass filter 200 is connected to the powersource, and the low pass filter 202 is grounded so as to output LPF1.Meanwhile, when UP=“L” and DOWN=“H” are applied, TR10 and TR16 will bothbe turned off, TR14 and TR12 will be turned on, the low pass filter 202is connected to the power source, and the low pass filter 200 isgrounded so as to output LPF2. As a result, the frequency rectangularwave of the UP signal is made analogue, or the frequency rectangularwave of the DN signal is made analogue.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the digital drive circuit based on ananalog sensor, and reference numeral 230 is a voltage comparatoremploying a circuit constitution pertaining to the reverse signalobtained from the window comparator as an example of the hysteresislevel setting means (hereinafter referred to as the “windowcomparator”), and the hysteresis level is determined by the output ofthe A phase sensor 35A and the output of the B phase sensor 35B beinginput and compared with the input value of the variable resistancecontrol circuit 136. Reference numeral 232 is a switch circuit forswitching whether to control A coil with the A1 phase drive waveform orthe A2 phase drive waveform, and the same applies to the B phase coil.

The variable resistance control circuit 236 determines the resistancevalue based on the input value of LPF1, and the hysteresis level is setthereby. In other words, by making the hysteresis level variable, themotor characteristics can be torque controlled. For example, uponstarting the motor, the hysteresis level is set to minimum, and themotor is driven giving preference to the torque and sacrificing theefficiency. This is explained later with reference to FIG. 14. Further,when the motor is in a state of operational stability, the hysteresislevel is set to maximum to drive the motor giving preference to highefficiency. The control circuit 234 selects a mode among a mode ofexciting the A phase coil and B phase coil and rotating the rotor, amode of exciting one phase and rotating the rotor, and a mode ofchanging the polarity of the excitation current to either phase andreversing the motor. Output of the control circuit 234 is supplied tothe MPX, output of the window comparator 230 is switched based on thecontrol command of the control circuit 234, and supplied to the phaseexcitation control unit 110A. The output of the phase excitation controlunit 110A drives the A phase coil and B phase coil in two phases,respectively.

FIG. 14 is control waveform diagram in a case of attempting to rotatethe rotor in a stopped state, for instance, at a high torque, and, whenthe hysteresis level is set to minimum, the window comparator 230compares the sensor output value and hysteresis level, the output valueof the sensor is converted into a logic quantity, an excitation signalof a high duty ratio is switched and supplied to from the multiplexer232 to the A phase coil array and B phase coil array, and the motorattempts to rotate at a high torque. When the LPF1 signal becomes large,the resistance value of the hysteresis adjustment electronic VR becomessmall, the drive torque becomes great, and the power consumption becomesgreat.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the hysteresis level is set to maximum in astate where the rotor is rotating stably, an excitation signal of a lowduty ratio is applied to the respective phase coil arrays, and the drivetorque of the motor will decrease. Nevertheless, the motor can beoperated at a high efficiency. In FIG. 14, although the torque willbecome maximum, the power consumption will also become maximum. In thecase of FIG. 15, although the torque will become minimum, the powerconsumption will also become minimum. As a result of continuously orgradually switching the hysteresis level, the motor torque can beadjusted linearly or in multi stages. In other words, when the LPF1signal becomes small, the resistance value of the hysteresis adjustmentelectronic VR becomes large, the drive torque becomes small, and thepower consumption becomes small.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram for explaining the regenerative control.Reference numeral 300 is the same window comparator described above, theoutput of the respective phase sensors and the hysteresis level (302)set forth with the output of LPF2 described above are compared, and theoutput thereof is supplied to the AND gate 306 or 304 via the OR gate301 or 303. Output of the AND gate 306 is supplied to the inverters 312and 310, output of the inverter 312 is inverted and supplied to thetransistor 330, and output of the inverter 310 is supplied to thetransistor 332. Output of the AND gate 304 is supplied to the inverters316 and 314, output of the inverter 316 is inverted and supplied to thetransistor 334, and output of the inverter 314 is supplied to thetransistor 336. Output from the OR gate 301 becomes the regenerativeenabling signal to the A phase coil, and, when the A phase chargecommand “1” is supplied from the CPU to the AND gate 306, “H” is outputfrom the gate 306 when the enabling signal is at the “H” level, and thetransistor 330 is turned on thereby. Then, the reverse electromotiveforce generated in the A phase coil can be supplied to the chargingmeans as the A phase electromotive force. Meanwhile, when the chargingcommand signal from the CPU system is “0”=non-resurrection, or, when theregenerative enabling signal is “L”, the transistor 332 is turned on,and the drive output “H” is supplied to the A phase driver unit. The CPUjudges whether the driver is being driven or subject to braking(regeneration), and outputs to the A phase charge switching unit 340regenerative enabling “1” or non-regeneration “0”. This is the same forthe B phase coil. Reference numeral 360 is the B phase charge switchingunit.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of the charge (storage) control unit, and theelectromotive force of the A phase coil and the electromotive force ofthe B phase coil are supplied to the smoothing circuit 350, andsubsequently supplied to the charge control unit (constant currentcontrol unit) 354 via the DC/DC conversion unit (charging currentcontrol unit) 352. Reference numeral 356 is the charge selection unit,and the CPU system selects the storage unit 1 (358) or storage unit 2(360) to perform storage.

FIG. 18 is a waveform diagram showing a case when the hysteresisadjustment electronic VR is small and the regenerative energy ismaximum, and FIG. 19 is a waveform diagram showing a case when thehysteresis adjustment electronic VR is maximum and the regenerativeenergy is minimum. In the case of a high load (strong regenerativebraking state), the duty ratio of the regenerative enabling signal ofthe respective phases will become high, and, when the regenerativeenabling signal is in the period of “H”, the regenerative current fromthe respective coils of the A phase and B phase is supplied to the load(battery). This is the state illustrated in FIG. 18. The regenerativesignal of the A phase coil and the regenerative signal of the B phasecoil are mixed and become the input value to the storage control unit112 of FIG. 9, and this is supplied to the storage unit as the smootheddirect current. In other words, when the LPF2 signal becomes large, theresistance value of the hysteresis adjustment electronic VR becomessmall, and the regenerative energy becomes maximum.

Meanwhile, in the case of a low load (weak regenerative braking state),as shown in FIG. 19, the duty ratio of the enabling signal of therespective phases will become small, and when the regenerative enablingsignal is in the period of “H”, the regenerative current from therespective phase coils is supplied to the load. When the LPF2 signalbecomes large, the resistance value of the hysteresis adjustmentelectronic VR becomes small, and the regenerative energy becomesmaximum. On the other hand, when the LPF2 signal becomes small, theresistance value of the hysteresis adjustment electronic VR becomeslarge, and the regenerative energy becomes minimum.

FIG. 20 is a control system diagram of the CPU unit illustrated withreference numeral 98 in FIG. 9, and a control table relating to thecontrol of the hybrid system constituting the internal combustion andthe foregoing electric motor. The status represents the operation statusof the automobile as the drivee, AH1 of “drive” represents a case wherethe motor is being driven at a high torque, and AH2 represents a casewhere the motor is being driven at a low torque. In the former,excitation current is supplied to the electromagnetic coil of both A andB phases, and in the latter, the excitation current is only supplied tothe A phase. In the case of the former, the internal combustion is alsostarted, and strong acceleration force can be achieved. In the case ofthe latter, the internal combustion is in a stopped state. “Stable”means that the [automobile] is in a running state at a constant speed(low load state) on a level ground, and the A phase coil is placed inthe drive control by LPF1, and the B phase coil is placed in theregenerative control by LPF2. Here, the internal combustion is startedto support the simultaneous drive and regeneration of the motor.

CH2 of the regenerative status is aimed for the braking during adownhill slope or the like, and for a relatively weak braking force.Only the A phase coil is being used for the braking. CH1 is aimed for arelatively strong braking (other than the foot brake) givingconsideration to fully stop the vehicle, and both phase coils aresubject to regenerative control. Further, during forced braking, thepolarity of the excitation current to be supplied to one of the AB phasecoils is reversed so as to rotate the rotor in the reverse direction.

FIG. 21 shows the used condition of the table depicted in FIG. 20 whenconsidering the series of motions from the vehicle starting from astopped state, running stably, and then being stopped. The targetcontrol mode is selected from the table according to the operationstatus of the vehicle. FIG. 22 is a relative diagram of the accelerationquantity and acceleration level, and a table is selected where, thelarger the acceleration opening, the stronger the driving force to beobtained. FIG. 23 is a relative diagram of the brake quantity anddeceleration level, and a table is selected where, the larger the brakeoperation quantity, the stronger the regenerative quantity.

FIG. 24 is a timing variation diagram from the vehicle in a stoppedstate to a stable running state, and the actual speed waveform is thespeed pulse waveform counting the output value of the speed sensorillustrated in FIG. 9 with an encoder. The command waveform determinesthe control status requested to the vehicle from the opening andoperational speed of the accelerator pedal; that is, it is the pulsewaveform to be supplied from the comparison waveform formation unit 102to the phase comparison unit 104. The target status table (AH1 or AH2)is selected from the acceleration opening, operation speed thereof andthe vehicle speed, and the UP signal for accelerating the motor issupplied to the respective coil phases based on the phase differencethereof. When the vehicle reaches a stable running state, the controlstatus becomes the BH table, and a low frequency UP signal is suppliedto the A phase coil, and a DN signal for subjecting the B phase coil toregenerative control is supplied to the B phase coil side. The driveoutput (pulse wave) to the motor is integrated with the LPF filter 200of the circuit illustrated in FIG. 12 during the UP period, and this isoutput as LPF1 (analogue quantity). LPF1 is output to the PWM controlunit 108 to create a duty ratio, and the motor is driven based on thisduty ratio.

FIG. 25 is a timing variation chart of the stable running area, and thestatus table to be selected differs from the case shown in FIG. 24. FIG.26 shows a state where the vehicle is subject to braking while it isrunning stably, and then stopped, and, since the regenerative controlstatus is selected as the status table, it shows that LPF2 of FIG. 9 isbeing supplied to the regenerative control circuit. The regenerativecontrol output (pulse wave) to the motor is integrated with the low passfilter 202 of the circuit illustrated in FIG. 12 and output to theregenerative control unit 84 as LPF2 (analogue quantity).

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the configuration of the electric motor inwhich rotators for rotating the rotational axis are provided serially tothe rotational axis 400. One rotator 412 rotates the A1 phase coil andB1 phase coil as the stator. The second rotator 410 rotates the A2 phasecoil as the stator with a common B1 phase coil. Since this motor has two(a plurality of) rotators, it is able to double (multistage) the drivetorque in comparison to a motor having only a single rotator.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing the control table to be applied to themotor illustrated in FIG. 27, and first: A phase represents the A1phase, second: A phase represents the A2 phase. As evident from thistable, the drive torque of the motor can be controlled in multiplestages in relation to the drive/stable control/regenerative control ofthe electric motor, respectively.

FIG. 29 is a relative curve of the control status to be selected fromthe control table and the vehicle speed from the start of the vehicle,to the stable running thereof, until the vehicle stops. The CPU systemselects the corresponding control status from the control table based onthe vehicle speed, acceleration operation quantity and brake operationquantity, and outputs the drive command or regenerative control commandto the electromagnetic coil phase to be selected in such control status.

FIG. 30 is a relative curve of the acceleration operation quantity andacceleration level, and the control status to be selected will differaccording to the acceleration operation quantity. FIG. 31 is a relativecurve of the brake operation quantity and the deceleration level. FIG.32 is a modified example of the system illustrated in FIG. 9, and FIG.33 is a timing charge of the system depicted in FIG. 32. The system ofFIG. 32 differs from the system of FIG. 9 with respect to the point thatthe phase comparison result in the phase comparison unit 104 is directlysupplied to the PWM drive control unit 110 or regenerative control unit84. As shown in FIG. 33, the PWM drive control unit 108 outputs thewaveform of the motor drive command value UP as the motor drive signalwithout change to the drive circuit of the motor. Further, theregenerative control command DOWN of the motor is output to theregenerative control unit without change.

FIG. 34 is a block diagram for explaining the storage control, and theregenerative control unit switches the charging to the plurality offirst storage units and second storage units. The regenerative controlunit or storage control unit checks the storage quantity of therespective storage units, and preferentially charges the regenerativecurrent to the storage unit with the largest storage quantity.Incidentally, in FIG. 34, the load unit is, for example, the electricalcomponents of the vehicle, and the electricity conversion unit is, forinstance, the power generation system based on internal combustion suchas an alternator.

In the foregoing embodiments, although the phase coils of the electricmotor were formed from the two phase coils of A phase and B phase, thismay also be formed from a motor having a plurality of phase coils.Incidentally, with the drive control system of the present invention,when the vehicle is in a low load running state (low load operationstate), since a plurality of phase coils of a single electric motor isused for both driving and regeneration, there is an advance in that theelectric motor system can be simplified without having to separate adriving motor and regenerative motor, and the weight of the vehicle canbe lightened.

1. An electric motor operation control circuit that controls the driveand regeneration of an electric motor that drives a driven body,comprising: a comparison circuit that compares the phase of a detectionsignal, which is obtained based on the output of sensor which detectsmotion of the driven body, and the phase of a reference signal, andforms a drive control signal and a regeneration control signal based onthe phase difference; a PWM drive control part that forms a drive signalfor which a duty ratio is set based on the drive control signal, andsupplies the formed drive signal to a drive circuit of the electricmotor; a regenerative control part that forms a regenerative permissionsignal for which a duty ratio is set based on the regeneration controlsignal; a storage control part that controls regenerative electricenergy supplied to a storage mechanism that stores electric energy to berecovered by the electric motor based on the regenerative permissionsignal; and an operation control part that sets a control mode of thedrive or regeneration of the electric motor according to the status ofthe driven body based on the output of the sensor, wherein the electricmotor has a movable body constituted from a magnetic body and aplurality of phase coils; wherein the operation control part controlsone or more of the phase coils for driving and/or regeneration accordingto the operation status of the driven body; wherein, when the drivenbody is in a low load state, the operation control part performs controlso as to simultaneously use a part of the plurality of phase coils fordriving and the other phase coils for regeneration; and wherein theoperation control circuit has a memory that stores a table ofcombination of the phase coils to be drive controlled or regenerativecontrolled according to the operation status of the driven body, andrefers to the memory to determine the phase coil to be excited orregenerated based on the sensor output.
 2. An electric motor operationcontrol circuit that controls the drive and regeneration of an electricmotor that drives a driven body, comprising: a comparison circuit thatcompares the phase of a detection signal, which is obtained based on theoutput of sensor which detects motion of the driven body, and the phaseof a reference signal, and forms a drive control signal and aregeneration control signal based on the phase difference; a PWM drivecontrol part that forms a drive signal for which a duty ratio is setbased on the drive control signal, and supplies the formed drive signalto a drive circuit of the electric motor; a regenerative control partthat forms a regenerative permission signal for which a duty ratio isset based on the regeneration control signal; a storage control partthat controls regenerative electric energy supplied to a storagemechanism that stores electric energy to be recovered by the electricmotor based on the regenerative permission signal; an operation controlpart that sets a control mode of the drive or regeneration of theelectric motor according to the status of the driven body based on theoutput of the sensor, and a magnetic sensor in relation to the movablebody for each of the phase coils, wherein the electric motor has amovable body constituted from a magnetic body and a plurality of phasecoils; wherein the operation control part controls one or more of thephase coils for driving and/or regeneration according to the operationstatus of the driven body; and wherein the electric motor operationcontrol circuit determines the hysteresis level in relation to theoutput of the magnetic sensor based on the comparison result, determinesthe hysteresis level in relation to that hysteresis level and the outputof the magnetic sensor, and determines the duty ratio from thehysteresis level and the magnetic sensor output.